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Publication | 2023

The EU Pathway Towards Sustainable Food Systems Transformation

Within the European Green Deal, the Farm to Fork and the Biodiversity Strategies are the two central elements for the transformation of EU food systems, to make them sustainable and resilient. A transition towards sustainable food systems is a necessary step towards achieving EU’s climate neutrality.

The Farm to Fork Strategy is the EU blueprint for transformation towards a sustainable food system using a One Health approach that integrates human, animal, plant and environmental health. The strategy puts forward an initial list of 27 actions, of both legislative and non-legislative nature at all stages of the food value chain to achieve a successful transition towards sustainable food systems. The Biodiversity Strategy aims to protect nature and reverse the degradation of ecosystems. As announced in the Strategy, the Commission adopted the legal proposals on Nature Restoration Law and ;Sustainable Use of Pesticides.

  • The EU “Code of Conduct on responsible food business and marketing practices”, finalised in July 2021, aims to stimulate concrete voluntary initiatives by all actors of the middle food supply chain, such as food processors, food service operators and retailers towards the sustainability of the food value chain and to promote healthy and sustainable consumption patterns.

  • The European Commission adopted a proposal for a “Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive” in February 2022. The proposal aims to foster sustainable and responsible corporate behaviour throughout global value chains. Companies have a corporate due diligence duty to identify, prevent, mitigate, and bring to an end and account for negative human rights and environmental impacts in their own operations, subsidiaries and value chains. This duty also refers to their value chains outside the European Union.

  • Legislation on materials in contact with food will be revised to help increase food safety and public health, and support the use of innovative and sustainable packaging solutions.

  • A legislative proposal to establish a framework for sustainable food systems should be brought forward by the end of 2023, aiming to gradually raise sustainability standards. It will include a framework on labelling that will govern the provision of information to consumers on the sustainability-related information on food products regarding their climate, environment and socio-economic aspects with the objective to empower consumers to make informed, healthy and sustainable food choices.

  • A revision of the animal welfare legislation in order to align it with the latest scientific evidence and citizen’s expectations.

  • The proposal for a Nature Restoration Law, including the binding restoration targets and the commitments to reverse the decline in pollinators is a key step in avoiding ecosystem collapse and preventing the worst impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss on agriculture.

  • The proposal for a Regulation on Sustainable Use of Pesticides, including the binding targets to reduce by 50% the use and the risk of chemical pesticides and the use of the more hazardous pesticides by 2030 as well as the new rules on environmentally friendly pest control, aims to reduce the environmental footprint of the EU's food system, protect the health and well-being of citizens and agricultural workers, and help mitigate the economic losses that we are already incurring due to declining soil health and pesticide-induced pollinator loss.

  • The Regulation on Veterinary Medicinal Products includes a wide range of concrete measures to fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and to promote a more prudent and responsible use of antimicrobials in animals. Its efficient implementation will be paramount to achieve the Farm to Fork objective of reducing by 50% overall EU sales of antimicrobials for farmed animals and in aquaculture by 2030.

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and Common Fisheries Policy play a key role in the transformation of the EU food systems. The CAP will play a particularly important role as the Member States have to consider the objectives and targets of the Farm to Fork Strategy in their National Strategic Plans.

  • For example, within the CAP, rules favouring cooperation within the food supply chain and limiting unfair trading practices (UTP Directive) contribute to a better functioning of the EU food supply chain. The Farm to Fork Strategy recognises that the organic action plan provides the framework for enhancing the contribution of the organic sector to sustainable and resilient practices in agriculture as well as to the provision of healthy food. The Common Agricultural Policy improves the response of EU agriculture to societal demands on food and health, including high-quality, safe and nutritious food produced in a sustainable way, to reduce food waste, as well as to improve animal welfare and combat antimicrobial resistance. It will also foster sustainable development and efficient management of natural resources such as water, soil and air, including by reducing chemical dependency.

  • The Common Fisheries Policy is bearing positive results and commits to step up efforts to bring fish stocks to sustainable levels. Moreover, the Farm to Fork Strategy calls to scale up the fight against fraud, strengthen the EU’s fisheries control system – currently in negotiations- and enhance the traceability system. As announced in the Biodiversity Strategy, in February 2023, the European Commission has presented an Action Plan to conserve fisheries resources and protect marine ecosystems.

  • In May 2021, the European Commission adopted the new Strategic Guidelines for the sustainable and competitive EU aquaculture. The Farm to Fork Strategy also stresses the potential of algae and calls for the support to its production and use in the EU. Accordingly, in November 2022, the European Commission presented its algae initiative to unlock the potential of algae in the European Union.

  • Marketing standards for agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture products are being revised to stimulate the uptake and supply of sustainable products.

The Soil Strategy for 2030 and the announcement to propose a Soil Health Law aims to tackle the problem of continuing and aggravating soil degradation in the EU, and presents healthy soil as an important solution for the biodiversity and climate crises as well as to prevent fresh- and sea- water degradation, but also for other societal challenges such as food security and safety. The new strategy sets the vision that by 2050 all soils should be healthy and resilient in the EU, which will require decisive changes.

Carbon farming approaches that reward farmers for preserving or increasing soil organic carbon can also improve soil quality and its fertility. The Commission communication on Sustainable Carbon Cycles promotes carbon farming through a series of actions, and the recently adopted Commission proposal for the certification of carbon removals will enable new business
opportunities around carbon farming.

The upcoming Regulation on deforestation-free products aims to reduce deforestation by setting provisions for commodities linked to a high risk of deforestation: soy, beef, palm oil, coffee, cocoa, timber and rubber as well as derived products (such as furniture, or chocolate). This new law will ensure that a set of key goods placed on the EU market will no longer contribute to deforestation and forest degradation in the EU and elsewhere in the world and in turn reducing greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss.

The EU zero pollution action plan 'Towards Zero Pollution for Air, Water and Soil' aims to better prevent, remedy, monitor and report on pollution, as a pathway to a “Healthy Planet for All”. It provides a compass to mainstream pollution prevention in all relevant EU policies, to step up implementation of the relevant EU legislation and to identify possible gaps. The new Commission’s proposal for the revision of the Industrial Emissions Directive aims to, inter alia, reduce methane emissions from livestock.

Research and Innovation (R&I) policy has a key role to play in supporting food and nutrition security and the transition towards sustainable food systems. Horizon Europe is the EU’s multi-annual framework programme for R&I (2021-2027), via which a diversity of actors, disciplines, sectors and countries are being supported to gain knowledge and develop impact- driven innovation relevant to agriculture and food, like nature-based and agroecological approaches, alternative proteins, and digitalisation. Food 2030, which is being deployed via Horizon Europe, is a framework for a systemic approach to R&I for the transition towards sustainable, healthy and inclusive food systems.

International Cooperation

The EU actively works with partner countries in the Western Balkans, its neighborhood and in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean to address food system issues and tackle global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, ocean degradation and pollution. The EU is supporting country-level food systems assessments, coordinated by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in over 40 partner countries.

To assist partner countries to strengthen their food systems, the EU mobilises various financial instruments, including the Neighborhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe (NDICI-GE). Sustainable agriculture is part of the Global Gateway strategy, the EU’s positive offer to the world to promote sustainable investments in view of the twin green and digital transition and human development – in cooperation with the EU Member States, financial institutions, development finance institutions and private sector.

In response to the deterioration of the global food insecurity situation as a consequence of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the European Union has put forward a comprehensive Team Europe response to global food insecurity along four complementary strands: a) solidarity, including emergency relief and affordability support; b) local production, resilience and food systems transformation; c) trade facilitation and work against unjustified restrictions in global trade of agricultural products and inputs, including through the Solidarity Lanes and the support to the implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative; and d) multilateralism. Moreover, the EU increased its humanitarian food and nutrition assistance by 60% in 2022, reaching around EUR 950 million, to support countries affected by the unprecedented food crisis.

The EU includes ambitious sustainable food related provisions in all relevant agreements that are negotiated with third countries. In particular, a Chapter on Sustainable Food System in addition to the Chapter on SPS matters, is being included in the negotiation of the Trade Agreements.